Contact us anytime to know more — Amit A., Founder & COO CISIN
CCM comprises two parts, change management and management. Deployment requires understanding how these concepts interact and complement one another - let's begin with configuration management.
Configuration Management Explained
Configuration management refers to an approach used to organize all the resources or configurable components needed for software applications to run effectively and reliably.
It ensures they operate in an ideal or predictable environment - the more stable your system, the higher its quality will likely be.
The following are some key principles of configuration management:
Knowing what configurable items are and labeling them accordingly: Locating which items can be configured, marking them accordingly and assigning numbers or labels accordingly.
Networks, servers and other computer resources all qualify as configuration items which you may label with numbers or give names to.
Make sure that configuration items are secure: Therefore, your documents need to be stored somewhere that allows for constant oversight and protection from cyber-attacks.
Maintaining Your Baseline: Configuration management requires creating and adhering to an ideal baseline condition or "normal." This serves as the center point for all subsequent releases; any deviation should lead back to this place if anything goes awry.
Each release should also feature its documentation, including change logs that record information about where each configurable element can be found, as well as proposed modifications and who is accountable.
Configuration auditing: Regular checks should be undertaken on every configuration item to make sure they remain stable and work efficiently as expected.
What is the next step: Every member of a configuration management team may select their tasks; auditing, approval of changes and reporting all play an integral part.
All team members should adhere to their selected responsibilities as quickly as possible after being assigned them.
Cyber Infrastructure Inc is among the many IT Asset Management tools used by businesses today. At the same time, Insight Configuration Management serves to track configuration items' current state for tracking and trend analysis.
Change Management Explained
Change management is the practice of overseeing any modifications made to configurable items within an environment or system, such as configurable hardware components.
Our Definitive Guide to Change Management may also prove invaluable; here, however, we shall outline its stages:
- We need to make changes: All the items that can be changed are evaluated, as well as when to do so and what to change.
- The change requested may have an impact on other items: The baseline of the system is a state that can be affected by this change. You will need this part when you are assessing the impact and breadth of the change.
- It's now time to request change: Once you have assessed the positive impact of the upcoming change, stakeholders should put their money on the line and submit a change request.
- Determining an appropriate change-management strategy: Once stakeholders have approved the final changes, the advisory board (or they) will develop a change-management strategy. It is also important to keep track of time frames and ensure that everything remains in line with the proper configuration management guidelines.
- Change Execution: It's a little like having superpowers. It's a bit like a superpower when you have everything ready, and it is time to put into practice the changes. If everything works out as planned, this will be the new baseline.
Cyber Infrastructure Inc. Service Desk is often utilized by companies for Change Management because its setup and usage are simple.
With approvals, coordination of tasks, planning and documenting capabilities, as well as being capable of copying subtasks from step to step - users are easily able to keep an overview of change processes within an easy system that offers them full visibility into what work must be completed while managing workflows effectively and easily.
Change Management And Configuration Management: What Is Their Purpose?
Turns out there are multiple advantages associated with automating processes on servers: They assist them to run optimally and consistently while increasing process efficiencies as more are automated than ever.
Change and Configuration Management, when employed effectively, can enable organizations to scale up without expanding staff numbers, thanks to ITSM automation.
Automation's most advantageous attribute lies in error reduction. Human beings, even on their best days, make mistakes that need fixing - however, when automated correctly, they tend to make fewer errors than humans can due to trial-and-error deployment of process automation until peak efficiency has been reached, allowing you to delegate this part of the workflow with greater confidence thanks to smart process automation.
Optimization can always help reduce costs. Change and configuration management are powerful strategies for saving money during server downtimes; staff costs associated with server repairs performed manually can become prohibitively high - ITSM automation provides the solution here.
Furthermore, Change/Configuration Management only functions effectively with its matching tools - to implement successful change/config management, you must first utilize the best available.
Take a look at this section.
You Need Change Management and Configuration Tools
To effectively implement change management, the appropriate tools must be in place. Automating may seem like an attractive idea in itself; however, intelligence shouldn't just consist of applying brainpower; rather, it involves finding and employing suitable tools based on specific circumstances that fit you personally best and allow your most talented mind to focus on doing what they are best at.
Jenga can make for great cafeteria entertainment while you focus on more pressing matters only humans are capable of handling.
We'll look at the features you should look for when choosing configuration management software.
This will eliminate any potential errors and allow you to make an informed decision.
1. Comparing Different Views
Finding data doesn't need to mean combing through long configuration files and multiple network devices; all it requires is differentiating (Diff) views for easy comparison between configuration files; these views also color code changes for easier tracking as they help identify who made changes and whether these were part of automated, manual, or scheduled processes, making tracking and tracing simpler than ever.
2. Real-Time Notification can Help you With your Processes
As a network administrator, it can be frustrating not knowing when changes have taken place on your network. A configuration management tool provides notification at each stage; actions performed can then be recorded into Syslog files for easy retrieval through its Syslog Server feature.
Network administrators can quickly compare this configuration with that from their most recent device backup when receiving this message.
They can immediately make any unapproved modifications by turning back directly to this version of backups if any suspicious modifications appear.
Keep an eye out for how your management tool handles notifications of changes. Notifications might arrive via email, SNMP, Trouble Tickets or Syslog and should be configurable to focus on specific triggers if desired; you could enable automatic rollbacks for mission-critical events in case any liquid spillage should occur in future events.
3. Who Needs to Know and When?
Assuming you work in an environment with multiple users, providing role-based permissions to modify features becomes even more critical.
Only network administrators have access to assign and authorize roles within the system.
Each user can then gain access to one device or more, depending on their respective roles, with access granted accordingly.
They then possess specific powers; system administrators are necessary for running configurations before being synced by users for backup/sync, and user comments and approval/denial decisions can take effect.
4. Tool With Versioning of Configuration and Storage
With a change management and configuration tool, it is possible to schedule, automate or manually backup on a schedule, either scheduled, automated or manual backup.
The tool compares any current backup with any that have been triggered via triggers; if changes have occurred, it stores it, otherwise discards it.
What will this accomplish overall? This step creates an archive of previous versions, which can be used for comparison and spot-the-difference games, making this quite helpful when things don't go according to plan.
5. "Rollback, Rollback, Rollback!"
At some point in your IT career, disaster often hits, and it becomes necessary for all systems to be brought down by it.
Most IT pros have encountered such situations at least once; as system administrators, it goes without saying that having quick ways of undoing changes helps restore order quickly when errors have been made.
Most problems can be remedied quickly by rolling back devices or groups of devices to their most stable configuration immediately.
Your management tool must allow for setting a baseline configuration easily so if things start going awry, you have something you can fall back on, providing a quick way of solving any potential issues that might arise.
Read More: Why CI/CD required for software development
Considerations of Other Kinds
Once we've covered all the details, it becomes much simpler to appreciate the differences between change management and configuration management, including where they overlap, making understanding their distinction simpler than before.
Now that we understand its intricacies better, identifying which management tool best meets our needs should become much less challenging - whether for change management, configuration management or both! In addition to considering factors mentioned previously when making our choice.
- Does it Have Flexibility: It should be compatible with your existing toolkit and any future ones. Of course, this is a no-no if the tool you use does not get updated often (or on demand).
- Does it Have Robustness: In other words, the software must be strong enough to handle all of the work you will assign it. It's understood, too, that the system must be able to grow with your company. It also nicely ties in with the last point.
- Does it Make Sense: Sure, there are some tools that cost a million dollars, and they're worth every penny. Are they worth the money you pay when there are other options available that are less expensive? Open-source software is often a great solution. However, to make the most of them, you need a lot of knowledge and management. It will depend, too, on how complex your IT infrastructure is. You'll likely need professional tools if your organization is large.
The Change Management Guide: Best Practices for Configuration Management
System changes are constant. Best practices for change and configuration management allow organizations to track configuration changes so that they can update features quickly without service interruptions.
However, many struggle to come up with the perfect formula.
What are the best practices for change and configuration management, then? Although there are many best practices, we suggest you stick to these five steps in order to make the most of your strategy for change and configuration management:
Step 1: Adopt An It Framework For Change Control Processes
Adopting a reliable security framework will ensure your IT infrastructure is implemented according to best practices, streamlining IT services while improving security.
Frameworks provide guidelines that guide IT estate changes safely, securely and approvedly - such as COBIT or ITIL frameworks - giving you control over changes within an IT estate while simplifying estate changes for more efficiency and increased productivity.
Frameworks like these can assist an organization in selecting which IT environment best meets its requirements, with strict change control procedures acting as your first line of defense against not only malicious activities but also misconfiguration incidents and breaching security risks that take longer to detect than anticipated, potentially increasing potential damages and increasing costs of recovery.
Step 2: Adopt A Well-Known Hardening Standard Such As CIS Oder NIST
Add standards of system hardening into your IT environment, such as Center for Internet Security CIS Benchmarks or NIST Compliance.
System hardening involves safeguarding computer settings to minimize vulnerabilities and lower risks of compromise - effectively shrinking down attackers' surface area for malicious use.
By ensuring the security and compliance of IT systems with context-sensitive change management and baseline maintenance, they remain compliant and secure at all times.
Step 3: Get To Know Your Applications and Environment. Record, Review and Document Changes
- Baseline: By obtaining a baseline for all your environments, you can give future applications a point of comparison to compare any system changes. Not only does this apply to applications and files, but it also applies to security and configuration policy. It is much simpler to remediate or restore a system when you have a "Gold Standard" image/baseline.
- Document: Make sure that all changes and baselines are recorded. This is for auditing purposes. Patches, configuration changes and file, account, registry, or account change changes should be monitored in real-time. If there are long periods between scanning and monitoring, it is possible that changes could go unnoticed. Changes to your system being recorded in real-time will help with any troubleshooting. Let's say one of your system engineers needs to roll back a configuration made while troubleshooting a particular application. He can easily check the audit logs to ensure everything has been reset back to the original.
- Review: All changes occurring in an IT environment must be continually and frequently reviewed. This review will include monitoring malicious activities and safe intended changes. The review can be made easier to understand if you use a tool that monitors the changes in real-time. This allows for the review of any suspicious activity to be done in real-time rather than waiting until a few days or weeks later.
- Document: Documentation should be developed and processed throughout the configuration and change management process. Documentation should not wait until the end of a change to be completed. This will ensure all actions and information that took place during the process are documented to aid in future troubleshooting. IT Service Management Tools, such as Arion ERP, are used by many IT departments today to ensure all processes and information are recorded and documented correctly.
Step 4: Select An Application/System That Allows You To Differentiate Between Good/Bad Changes
Change and Configuration management tools should also play a part in effective change control processes, with tools used for testing patches before being applied to production systems - to avoid unexpected side effects or new problems that might otherwise arise from changes made without testing before application - this allows organizations to define when, what systems and any changes occurring outside this window must be categorized as unplanned changes and potential configuration drift.
Cyber Infrastructure Inc.'s Change Tracker can easily integrate with existing ITSM tools, enabling you to link environment changes directly with ticket approval or intelligent rules - helping safeguard against security and compliance breaches and ensure continuous change control in an organized fashion.
Visit our ITSM Integrations page for more details of what integration capabilities we provide.
Step 5: Use a Vulnerability Scanner and an Immediate Configuration Scanner
NNT's security suite and automated features can assist with maintaining a safe posture. The first step should be running regular vulnerability scans using our Vulnerability Tracker; you can schedule it to start them at set intervals automatically; these automated scans generate reports which allow your team to remediate vulnerabilities found.
In addition to vulnerability scanning, monitoring configuration settings of your system should also be monitored closely in order to stay secure.
Cyber Infrastructure Inc.'s Change Tracker can assist in monitoring hardened settings and the framework chosen to ensure no configuration drift occurs within your environment.
Should it happen outside of its designated period, its integrity monitoring capabilities and logs will give a full picture of what occurred.
An Example in Real Life of Configuration and Change Management
Imagine you're working on an educational project that involves the construction of a building with ten classrooms.
Case: 1
Imagine this: your steel worker quit midway through your project. A replacement contractor offers their services, but it will take one week.
Because this change request was approved, update the baseline schedule accordingly. Here is an example change management system; now, let's examine configuration management examples as well.
Case: 2
Your client wants you to increase the room count at their new school from 10 to 15. Due to changes made to product configuration and specifications, this change requires managing through Configuration Management Systems; initially, the request was for one additional week delay as part of an effort to adjust the baseline schedule without actually altering the product itself.
What Is The Difference Between Configuration Management Systems And Change Management Systems?
Change management involves processes, baselines and plans, while configuration management deals with product specifications.
A change management system might involve additional funding or an extension to an already scheduled activity. In contrast, configuration management would add features to an already produced item.
Conditions for Change Management
Here are some conditions that must be met for effective change management.
- A delay in the schedule will require you to create a revised schedule that reflects your current circumstances.
- Overrun in cost: To complete your project, you will have to estimate the costs again.
Conditions of Configuration Management
Here are some conditions that must be met for effective configuration management.
- The market competition drives new product features.
- A project has taken so long to complete that it is outdated, and an upgrade is needed.
- You were asked by a client to add extra features.
- Some features of the product are removed due to cost overruns.
- Some features have been removed to complete the project earlier.
Change Management vs Configuration Management
Configuration Control and Change Control are distinct practices; one guide describes them this way: "Configuration Control involves specifying both deliverable specifications as well as processes used in project execution while Change Control involves documenting any modifications made to documents, deliverables or baselines and accepting or rejecting those changes".
Should there be changes in product configuration, change management will need to be updated, and cost and schedule baselines should need to be altered accordingly.
Configuration management encompasses more than change management, but this area covers less territory.
Who Can Raise A Change And Configuration Request And Who Has The Authority To Authorize It?
Anybody may submit a change request. However, approval must come from the project manager or another higher authority listed in their Project Management Plan.
Client consent will likely also be necessary if not part of this process. If that client consent isn't present, then client authorization would likely also need to be sought prior to any change approval being granted by an approval body such as Change Control Board or Project Management Office.
Configuration requests are generally submitted by customers when changes involve products. A project manager reviews this request before forwarding it for review by higher authorities for approval, although additional features may require paying extra fees to access.
A client agreement may also be needed if additional features must be paid extra.
Conclusion
Cyber Infrastructure Inc. Service Desk and Cyber Infrastructure Inc. Insight is one of the best configuration management solutions available.
It's flexible and affordable. Both solutions integrate smoothly with one another, giving you everything you need for both change management and Configuration Management.
Attaining success when it comes to change implementation requires being equipped with both intelligence and security measures.
With our recommendations and tools at your fingertips, there's no excuse not to achieve success.
